The Drowned vs The Talleyrand Maxim: Which Should You Read?
Both live on shelves: Mystery
The Drowned
More
From the renowned Booker Prize winner and nationally bestselling author of Snow comes a richly atmospheric new mystery about a woman’s sudden disappearance in a small coastal town in Ireland, where nothing is as it…
The Talleyrand Maxim
“Linford Pratt, senior clerk to Eldrick & Pascoe, solicitors, of Barford, a young man who earnestly desired to get on in life, by hook or by crook, with no objection whatever to crookedness, so long as it could be performed in safety and secrecy, had once during one of his periodical visit to the town Reference Library, lighted on a maxim of that other unscrupulous person, Prince Talleyrand, which”
More
The “Talleyrand Maxim” holds that “With time and patience, the mulberry leaf is turned into satin.” The adage has the character of guidance for life for an ambitious legal clerk, Linford Pratt. Unlike most people, he…
Side by side
The verdict
- Ratings are close across the board — any is a safe pick by score.
- The Talleyrand Maxim is the quickest read — about 3 hours vs 5 for The Drowned.
- The Talleyrand Maxim has the widest readership — 180 ratings behind its score.
Affiliate links: we may earn a commission on purchases.
How to choose
Scores by source
| The Drowned | The Talleyrand Maxim | |
|---|---|---|
| Goodreads | — | 3.9 (180) |
| Hardcover | 3.6 (7) | — |
| Apple Books | 4.0 (95) | 4.5 (13) |
| Check price → | Check price → |
Reception
| The Drowned | The Talleyrand Maxim | |
|---|---|---|
| Ratings | 95 | 180 |
| Editions | — | 115 |
| Want to read | — | 102 |
| Reading it now | — | 28 |
| Written reviews | — | 30 |
| Pages | 319 | 195 |
| Check price → | Check price → |
Questions readers ask
Which is rated higher: The Drowned or The Talleyrand Maxim?
The Drowned has the higher combined reader rating across sources (The Drowned 3.9/5, The Talleyrand Maxim 3.9/5).
Which is shorter to read: The Drowned or The Talleyrand Maxim?
The Talleyrand Maxim is the quickest read. Estimated at 225 words per minute: The Talleyrand Maxim (195 pages, ≈ 3 h 37 m); The Drowned (319 pages, ≈ 5 h 54 m).
Which is harder to read: The Drowned or The Talleyrand Maxim?
Estimated difficulty, based on era, reader shelves and length — The Drowned: Moderate; The Talleyrand Maxim: Challenging.